“It is an extremely worrying time for women when they encounter breast problems. Naturally, they want to be seen by a member of the team at the Breast Care Clinic as soon as possible. Women referred by their GP to the Breast Care service at Burton are given an appointment at the Breast Clinic often within a week of being seen by their GP and certainly within two weeks.

“Cancellations or rearranged clinic appointments are often unavoidable and can result in the appointment slot being lost altogether if the hospital are not told about it early enough and are therefore not able to offer the time to another patient.

“It is clearly vital that people keep their Breast Clinic appointments even if their symptoms seem to get better in the meantime. We would much rather see you and check any concerns and, where appropriate, ensure that treatment is started sooner rather than later.”